A student poses with her painted face, ahead of New Year celebrations at a college in Chennai on December 28, 2024. (Photo by R. Satish Babu/AFP Photo)

A child reacts as people attend a protest organized to celebrate the announcement of the ceasefire in Gaza,at Yarmouk camp in Damascus, Syria on January 17, 2025. (Photo by Yamam Al Shaar/Reuters)

A Balinese man performs a traditional dance at Art Center Denpasar on Indonesia's resort island of Bali on May 30, 2025. (Photo by Sonny Tumbelaka/AFP Photo)

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A Balinese Hindu blows fire, during a parade carrying Ogoh-ogoh effigies symbolising evil spirits, during a ritual before Nyepi, the day of silence, in Palembang, South Sumatra province, Indonesia March 8, 2016. Nyepi is a day of silence for self-reflection celebrating the Balinese Hindu new year, where people may not use lights, light fires, work, travel nor enjoy entertainment. (Photo by Darren Whiteside/Reuters)

Workers sleep on a railway track under repair in New Delhi, India, June 15, 2018. (Photo by Saumya Khandelwal/Reuters)

“Theyyam”. Preparation for the Theyyam performance in the surroundings of Kasaragod city. Theyyam is a popular ritual dance form of North Kerala, particularly in Kannur and Kasargod districts. The Theyyam represents a mythological, divine or heroic character. Make up of Theyyams is done by specialist. There are different types of face painting for which primarily and secondary colours are used. Therefore it is essential that the makeup man should have perfect knowledge of primary and secondary colour combinations. Sometimes, it takes several hours to paint each face. Photo location: Kasaragod, India. (Photo and caption by Rafal Ziejewski/National Geographic Photo Contest)